Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Note:
Network security practices identify three primary areas of focus,
which should be kept in mind when planning resource management
configurations. These three areas are referred to by the acronym C-I-A,
reflecting the following concepts:
•
Confidentiality
—Ensuring that information is not disclosed
through unauthorized access
•
Integrity
—Ensuring that information is not lost, manipulated
through unauthorize means, or corrupted
•
Availability
—Ensuring that information is accessible and available
for authorized use
Networking
For obvious reasons, network utilization and capacity directly affects
resource availability in a distributed environment. Centralized resources,
service-oriented architecture Web services, and network applications all
depend heavily on network availability for basic operations. Network
capacity can also affect local storage access by slowing authentication and
access control validation, adding latency between distributed processes, or
creating bottlenecks in replication and backup operations.
Identification of slow, intermittent, or demand-only network islands will
be useful in planning storage and capacity, as well as future-state network
upgrades. Private-address (not publicly routed) networks dedicated to repli-
cation, backup, and application-specific connectivity can greatly improve
overall performance, reduce bottlenecks, and address network saturation
issues by removing this traffic from the production network. Remote and
mobile users may also have special connectivity requirements related to the
device, service, and application structure consumed during remote access.
Data Storage
It is necessary to develop an understanding of the types of files being
stored and managed before attempting to address storage format and orga-
nization solutions. User files often make up the bulk of personalized data
storage, although the ability to send file attachments in e-mail messages
has led to a blending of these personal storage requirements. Static files
